Gleason: Firing Ellerson won't fix Army's problems

Wednesday

Oct 24, 2012 at 2:00 AM

WEST POINT — Rich Ellerson jokes about the season not having been canceled and the key still working to his office door. He knows the score. Ellerson doesn't need a $50-a-year alumni donor screaming from the cheap seats to know he's had as bad a season as his Army football team.

Kevin Gleason

WEST POINT — Rich Ellerson jokes about the season not having been canceled and the key still working to his office door. He knows the score. Ellerson doesn't need a $50-a-year alumni donor screaming from the cheap seats to know he's had as bad a season as his Army football team.

Army's 48-38 loss to previously winless Eastern Michigan on Saturday provided more fodder for the armchair quarterbacks. It was up there with the listless 23-3 loss to Stony Brook of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in alarming defeats this season.

So the fire-Ellerson folks are in full drool. They show up on chat boards or alumni emails sharing their thoughts or rousing the graduates. Fire Ellerson. Clean house. Hire so-and-so from such-and-such university.

But there are gaping holes in the sentiment. The first is a societal trend that leans toward giving coaches two or three seasons — four tops — to produce a consistent winner. The details don't seem to matter, most notably that in three-plus seasons, Ellerson has led Army to its first winning season since 1996 and first bowl win in 25 years.

Ellerson's record his first three seasons, 15-22, is Army's best since Bob Sutton went 15-18 his first three years from 1991-93. Sutton did it with the help of nine games against Division I-AA teams, three per season. For those with short memories or unfamiliar with the program back then, a large contingent of alumni and fans advanced the same kind of criticism toward Sutton. Army has played one I-AA team in each of Ellerson's four seasons. This year's candidate, Stony Brook, is 7-1, with its only loss an 11-point defeat to Syracuse.

Fire Ellerson. Clean house. Hire so-and-so from such-and-such university. How has that worked out for Army the past decade? Do we really need to recap the Todd Berry Era (5-35), when he helped engineer the worst season in major-college history with Army's 0-13 finish in 2003?

This is not an assault on Berry. He always had a bright football mind. He has proven as much since taking over Louisiana-Monroe in 2010, leading it to a 5-2 record this season, including an overtime win over then-No. 8 Arkansas in the opener. Berry's schemes and philosophies simply weren't a good fit for Army.

Ellerson, on the other hand, has represented everything Army wants in a coach. He brought an impeccable reputation from Cal-Poly as an expert in option football. He understands and embraces the Academy and its mission. He fosters the need to recruit players wanting to attend West Point for the whole experience instead of using it solely as an avenue to play major-college football.

Perhaps the screamers can find a coach better suited to West Point than Ellerson, whose father and two of his brothers attended the Academy. One of them, John, is a former football captain.

When Ellerson was hired, Dick Tomey, who went a combined 183—145—7 in three stops, including Arkansas, called Ellerson "the best football coach in the country.''

But what does Tomey know compared to the screamers, right? What does Tomey know compared to the folks who believe Army should be an annual bowl contender? Army clearly has unique academic and military challenges compared to even fellow academies Navy and Air Force. You can't chalk up two bowl games the past 23 seasons entirely on bad coaching. There are extenuating circumstances.

Does all of it absolve Ellerson of blame for Army's season so far? Absolutely not. The defense has gone long periods without stopping anybody. The 13 turnovers, resulting in a minus-seven ratio, are alarming. And the bottom line, a 1-6 record, is unacceptable.

But there is a lot of season left. Ellerson, who has three years remaining on his contract, deserves time as much as he needs it.

"We have a long way to where we should be,'' Ellerson said. "We have a long way to where we want to be. We are going to get better. We are gaining on it.''

Ellerson's time is up as far as some folks are concerned. I wonder who they have in mind to take over.